Steelers OLB T.J. Watt Moves Into First Place in Key Stat
With the score tied at 21-21 late in the second quarter and the defense reeling, Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro outside linebacker T.J. Watt answered with a strip sack on Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow to give the ball back to the offense. Outside linebacker Preston Smith came up with the loose ball at the Steelers’ 38-yard line. Five plays later, Chris Boswell nailed a 50-yard field goal to give the Steelers a 24-21 lead with 3:31 remaining in the first half.
TJ WATT HUSTLES FOR THE STRIP SACK.
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Watt came into Sunday’s game with 40 tackles (28 solos), 7.5 sacks, 13 tackles for loss, 18 quarterback hits and two fumble recoveries. He now has a league-best five forced fumbles after his strip on Burrow. Out of Watt’s five forced fumbles, three were strip sacks.
He also tied James Harrison for second place in franchise history with 32 strip sacks. Greg Lloyd has the record with 33.
Watt needed a splash play, especially after a very quiet performance in last Thursday nightâs 24-19 loss to the Cleveland Browns. Watt still came into Week 13 as the odds-on favorite to win NFL Defensive Player of the Year with +105 odds, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Houston Texans edge rushers Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter are the next closest to Watt but itâs by a wide margin. Anderson has +1100 odds, while Hunter is at +1400. Green Bay Packers safety Xavier McKinney (+1400), Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson (+1600) and Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (+1700) round out the top 6.
Garrett put Watt on notice after Thursday nightâs win, too.
âI have a lot of respect for him⊠But Iâm number 1. Thatâs from Edge 1 to Defensive Player of the Year. Iâm the guy. That runs through me,â Garrett said in his post-game interview with Amazon Prime. âThereâs no other person being schemed or planned against like I am. It just shows, you can throw that out the window. Iâm gonna find a way.â
Heading into Week 12, Watt was the favorite to win NFL Defensive Player of the Year at -185. Myles Garrett wasnât even in the top 9, but Garrettâs performance on Thursday night boosted his chances to +1700 at winning DPOY for the second consecutive year. Garrett now ranks third in sacks with 10, behind only Danielle Hunter (10.5 sacks) and Trey Hendrickson, who has 11.5.
Garrett put Watt on notice after Thursday nightâs win, too.
âI have a lot of respect for him⊠But Iâm number 1. Thatâs from Edge 1 to Defensive Player of the Year. Iâm the guy. That runs through me,â Garrett said in his post-game interview with Amazon Prime. âThereâs no other person being schemed or planned against like I am. It just shows, you can throw that out the window. Iâm gonna find a way.â
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